Asked & Answered

Q: This is a question about publishing information found in documents from the Family Division of Superior Court regarding a divorce. Is it legal for us to mention the divorce in our article? Also, is it legal for us to publish the home address of a person in connection with our investigative reporting? We found that address in the court documents of a criminal trial. There is some other information published on the website of

Q: I am a parent of an elementary school student who is attending a public school being fast-tracked to close in 25 days. An important piece of this decison-making process is a report that is being written by a superintendent’s advisory committee. This committee has closed meetings and the school board allows this. I have asked for the public to be able to view the meetings, to observe, but this has been denied. The superintendent’s

Q: I received a response to a CPRA request notifying me that I would likely not receive a response for eight weeks. Is this extended window consistent with the PRA? If it is not, what remedies are available to me? [This questions was submitted in 2021 amid the coronavirus pandemic.) A: Although the agency has a right to a 14-day extension of the usual 10-day response period for a California Public Records Act (“CPRA”) request,

Q: I am a journalist whose First and Fourth Amendment Rights were violated by police. The incident occurred while I was documenting but not speaking or interacting with anyone on the public sidewalk. The police department report has my location and description, and stated no crime suspected, just my presence and that I am photographing the police. A police officer walked behind me and without cause or warning reached around and stuck his hand inside

Q: I am a Ph.D. student at a state university. For the past several months I have been a part of a political movement demanding a cost of living adjustment for graduate students. As part of this student action, there have been pickets often consisting of several hundred people daily. I have been fired as a result of my participation in this strike. I am requesting assistance regarding a recent development that may infringe on